The people of Perth have been challenged to champion the survival of Perth City Hall.
Campaign group Save Perth City Hall has urged residents to register their opposition to its demolition.
A deadline of March 14 has been set for opinions on Perth and Kinross Council’s bid to gain permission to raze the Edwardian building and create a civic square.
The matter will then go before councillors, who are expected to rubber-stamp an application to Historic Scotland.
The demolition bid is proceeding in tandem with two separate attempts to save the building the first is Perth City Market Trust’s renewed effort to secure the lease for an up-market food hall, and the other is the Seventy Group’s more recent plan to create a five-star hotel.
The renewed hope they offer has stimulated the opponents of demolition to further action, with Save Perth City Hall circulating a detailed letter of objection for others to submit to the council ahead of the deadline.
The group’s Barry Pringle urged supporters to “fill in the form, send it by post or email it and tell as many of your friends, family and colleagues to do the same”.
He said: “There are two positive business plans for a hotel or a market hall, but if you do not send in your objection, the council will get what it has wanted all along for eight years and the City Hall will be reduced to a pile of rubble. “It is through all our efforts that the building is still standing today.”
In his strongly-worded letter, Mr Pringle set out the campaign group’s reasons for “strongly” opposing demolition.
He said: “Once again Perth and Kinross Council is applying to demolish this fine building, which is a major part of Perth’s cultural heritage.
“Built in the same year as the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, Grand Central Station in New York and Harrods store in London, Perth City Hall is a classic building that we cannot afford to lose.
“The council’s proposal for demolition and the creation of an open square would cost over £4 million of our money, turningthe city centre into a building site for two to three years, with disastrous economic and environmental consequences.
“The centre of Perth has been dying for many years. It lacks a social hub. It lacks community facilities. It lacks a central, easily-found tourist information centre.
“A revitalised City Hall can remedy all these deficits and re-establish the heart of Perth as a vibrant shopping destination and visitor attraction.”
The council, however, believes a civic square would bring economic benefits, creating a venue for markets and events.